[ the dating do's & don'ts ]

credits going out to the enchanted graphic shop

 ( past ) 

He wanted to meet in front of the venue, so I agreed.

It's not a date. He just needed somebody to keep him company for the end of the year party, and so did I. I had asked Jonghoon, but his schedule consisted of a week in Busan, which was not helpful at all.

I wanted to go alone, but Daehyun did not approve of it. He had talked me into going with him. There was no harm in it anyway. We had become good friends over the university years.

The place is quite big, catering up to two hundred people. It's a mixture of graduate architects, interior designers and engineers. In our university it is one of the most prestigious and talked about events of the year that, practically, everybody looks forward to.

“Sorry I'm late,” Daehyun grins. He's dressed finely in a grey suit with a dark green tie. I almost don't recognise me because I've never seen him in formal wear. “It's usually the girl coming late, isn't it?”

“Well, you've made it,” I shrug. “You're only two minutes late. I won't crucify you or anything for it.”

“You look great.” I don't know if he's being sarcastic or not, but I'll take it anyway.

There's nothing enchanting about this dress, but the little bow on the back. It's simple and comfortable – just how I like it. A student budget only allows you to splurge up to a certain point. I was, in no way, going to spend over one hundred dollars on something I'd wear for one night alone.

I reply, “I don't look as great as you.”

Daehyun chuckles, presenting his arm and I take it as we enter the enormous hall. Everything's decked out nicely. The whole place is lit up with candle light. There are rows of tables with finger food and beverages lined up for the taking. In the centre, there's an enormous dance floor that is packed with people.

I hesitate. Daehyun observes me and gives a gentle smile, ushering me to the side of the hall.

“I got you something,” He tells me.

I knew it's not flowers because I hadn't seen him holding anything earlier. Which perhaps left chocolates? I see him dig out his hand from behind his blazer's pocket to pull out something that I least expect.

“FTISLAND's latest CD?” I giggle.

He frowns. “You don't like it. Don't tell me you already have it!”

I'm touched that Daehyun's noticed my interest for the band. He probably thinks I'm an obsessed fangirl or something. I explain to him that I like FTISLAND because I'm friends with them and how I've been giving them my moral support ever since high school. Heck, they used my basement!

“So you're telling my your best friends with, what's his name...Jonghyun?”

“Jonghoon,” I correct him, still finding it amusing. “He's the lead guitarist.”

“I see.” Daehyun finally gets it and gives me a sheepish simper. “I guess I'll have to return the gift then. You have it, don't you?”

“Yeah,” I respond, feeling guilty. The boys had given me the album before they had released their new album last week. “By all means, I think you should keep it. Think of it as a present from me. You should try listening to them. I think they're pretty good. It'll be a change from listening to any other idol group.”

He arches an eyebrow at me. “How so?”

“They can actually play instruments and the lead singer has a decent voice,” I smile.

“Don't tell me you're one of those deluded fans who pretends that you know them, but you don't? The next thing I know you'll be inviting me to Jonghoon and your wedding-”

“Oh, be quiet,” I grumble.

He smirks. “That's why I love talking to you. You're ever so polite.”

I'm about to reply back, but I catch a few girls from the interior design faculty send me withering gazes. One of them speaks out loudly, “She's only flirting with him because his father owns the architecture company. She's not even pretty.”

I stiffen at her words. And this is exactly why I prefer male friends over girls. I'm tempted to stride up to them and give the girl a slap in the face, but Daehyun deters me. His arm smoothly supports me from my back, holding onto my opposite shoulder as we venture a good three or four metres from the girls.

“There's no need to protect me,” I mutter. “I heard exactly what they said. And, to be honest, I didn't even know that your father is the owner of a company. I-”

“I know, Chaeri,” Daehyun reassures me. “Which is why I chose you to be my date. I know you're not the type that would be wanting to steal my assets or anything. The only thing that I agree with those bunch of idiots is that you're not pretty.”

“Excuse me?” I say, dumbly.

“You're stunning.”

My cheeks feel hot and I try to look away from him, but he grabs onto my chin until I'm looking into his deep brown eyes.

“Don't look away when I say something like that. I don't usually dish out compliments and I'm usually not one to lie about them either.”

“It's embarrassing.”

“But it's true,” Daehyun smiles.

I change the subject, swiping a glass of wine from the table in the process. “I heard from a little birdie that you got a position. How-”

“Didn't you hear those girls earlier? My dad owns a company. I was already a hired architect before I even was qualified or had begun the course,” Daehyun says, appearing disgruntled.

“I wish I'll get a spot,” I say, jealously. I take a few sips from the glass. “It'll be a miracle if I do.”

“Trust me. You will,” Daehyun states with certainty. “Although my technique is much different from yours, it's good. You're talented and your perspective is quite unique in contrast to anybody I know of-”

“Maybe because I have the feminine touch?” I wink, draining the rest of my wine. I can't help but find myself flirting. There's something about Daehyun that sometimes brings out this side to me. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing.

“Definitely,” Daehyun plays along. “Because you've definitely touched me.”

“How so?” I challenge him. The taste of liquor is making me more daring than I had anticipated.

“Because I like you, Chaeri.”

I try to keep a straight face, but I can't hold it long. I find myself beaming. The late night studying together, designing, talking. Daehyun had grown on me and I would be blind to not see the spudding attraction between us – more on my end. I wouldn't have thought he'd like me to actually pursue me like this.

He had many options out there. I had seen the girls hitting on him throughout our university life, yet he never took advantage and advanced with any of the ladies trying to pursuit him. A lot of the girls were gorgeous, so for somebody like him to pick me as a date tonight had surprised me. Daehyun was handsome too. I had to give him that, but I never allowed myself to think that way. He was a friend.

I had never wanted to stand out. I always did my work, focusing on my portfolio and projects. I valued getting good grades more than anything. I didn't care about my appearance. There were times I didn't even put make-up for our tutorials. Daehyun knew this, yet he still liked me?

He likes me?

“Um...if you're not cool with it. I understand,” Daehyun awkwardly scratches the back of his head. “I understand if you don't like me that way.”

I blink. “No, no...I didn't mean it that way, Daehyun.”

“What?”

“I like you to,” I admit, biting my bottom lip.

He cracks the widest smile I've ever seen on him. “Then can I have this dance?”

I give a slow nod, steadily accepting his warm hand.

Without another word, he takes my hand and brings me to the dance floor. It's only a matter of time he finds out that I have two left feet on the dance floor. He, then, declares to me that he will never take me out dancing ever again.

And, you know what, I have to agree with him on that.

•••••••••••••••

 ( present )

“Is this cute...or this one?” Jinri holds a pink bib and baby blue under her chin, looking at me closely, with big round eyes, to find which colour I approve of.

Laughing, I shake my head. “If you're asking me to decide the gender of your baby, it's impossible. I'm no fortune teller.”

“But won't it be fun to find out that he's a boy and we had gotten him all girly clothing?” Jinri points out.

Sometimes I can see the similarity with Jonghoon and right now, what Jinri is saying, is something he'd say. “Jaejin won't like it. I promise you that. He's in for a shock. Isn't it better to find out what gender your kid will be?”

“I like the surprise.”

“Well, you did a great surprise fooling everybody,” I respond back, sarcastically, earning me a light push on the shoulder. “Hey, it's true. Jonghoon was close to murdering your secret boyfriend.”

“Don't say that, Chae. It's not something to joke about.” She pouts at me. Jinri has the natural knack to look unintentionally cute and from her reaction, I can't help but feel a tiny bit guilty.

I give in. “The blue one then.”

“You're such a guy,” Jinri states, tossing the blue bib into the shopping basket.

And this is what I get for offering my opinion – a snide insult.

“I've always loathed pink.” I grumble. “Besides, sometimes the other architects in the company want me to grow balls to literally accept me. Do you reckon Daehyun would love me still if I had plastic surgery to remove my -”

“Ew, ew, ew!” Jinri repeats, gaping at me. “I know you have a sick kind of humour but what has gotten into you lately! See those little kids and their mothers right there? They heard that. They think you're mentally disturbed right now-”

“Just like you, hoping I pick the wrong gender for your kid so that you can force them to wear the wrong colour,” I point out. “You see? That's what's wrong with our population! ism. Girls like pink, boys like blue! That's ridiculing personal choice and individuality!”

“Please don't tell me you're starting this debate in a baby's store?” Jinri groans. “I should have dragged Minhwan out. At least he'd keep me quiet company.”

I question, “Why not Jaejin? He's the baby's father after all...”

“He'll look at the price tags.”

“That's practical though.”

“No,” Jinri glares. “I want cute.”

I turn my head away, sighing to myself. “God, this is turning into a disaster.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” I force a fake smile. Again, Jinri hits me on the arm.

An hour later, Jinri walks out the store carrying plastic bags filled to the brim with milk bottles, diapers, clothing, adorable toys and other necessities required for babies. I, on the other hand, am dragging a heavy rectangular box which, when assembled, will apparently transform into a wooden crib. We dump everything into the boot of my car.

After unloading the baby purchases and dropping Jinri off at her place, I reverse from the driveway and make my way to Daehyun's apartment. Meeting up with Daehyun every Sunday night is our ritual.

My phone buzzes a few times, but I let it ring out because I'm certain it's Daehyun calling me. I never like answering the phone whenever I'm driving. I park my car, grabbing Daehyun and my favourite chardonnay bottle from the backseat, rushing towards his apartment.

I don't often come late, but I get carried away whenever I'm with Jinri – especially when we had just been baby shopping. Every aisle had been exciting because we'd fantasise about her future child and how I'd become the Godmother to the little tyke.

Pushing the doorbell, I wait for my fiancée to answer the door.

When I heard the door unlock, I push it open. What's odd is that he's not behind the door to greet me, as he usually does. I find him sitting lazily on the couch in front of the television. What bothers me is that he isn't even facing me.

Bemused, I take off my shoes and diligently take a seat next to him. His eyes are still staring at the television screen. If anything, it's like he wants to burn a whole at the monitor. I glance at what's on, only to see it's an advertisement on organic cabbages. Either Daehyun's mad or he's really fascinated about the produce of organic vegetables.

Who am I kidding? He's mad about something and I don't know exactly what.

“Hi honey,” I greet.

I hug him, but he feels stiff in my arms. In fact, I swear I can see his jaw tighten instead. I try another tactic, running my fingers through his hair. He usually loves it when I do this, but he's not giving me the slightest reaction at all.

Folding my arms together, I bring my feet up from the floor and swivel my whole body so that I'm sitting right in front of him.

“What's wrong, baby?”

Letting out a deep sigh, he switches off the TV. “Do you really need me to answer this question?”

I frown. I know that if I answer this question I know he'll be angry either way. Daehyun's dangerous when his mood is like this. He rarely gets pissed off, but when he is it's hard to handle.

“Then tell me,” I say.

Not saying another words, he throws the newspaper onto my lap.

I unfold the paper and spread it out so I can read it clearly. I can't relate to the top news (since it's about politics that doesn't interest me at all), but as I read down the left column I notice the, 'FTISLAND's Jonghoon Engaged?'

Hastily, I flip the pages to the designated gossip section. There's no way Jonghoon is engaged! Jonghoon would never hide from me that he has a girlfriend-wait...WHAT?

I don't even read the article to know why Daehyun's moody. There's an image of Jonghoon and I, outside the cemetery gates, embracing.

What's good is that my face isn't in the image. However, since my arms are around him, the photographer had zoomed in on my diamond engagement ring. My throat dries up. This is bad.

To a bystander, anybody would think we're a couple. And, as I look up, I grimace at Daehyun's furious gaze.

“We're getting married, Chae,” Daehyun says, grimly.

I take a deep breath, exhaling out. I need to be smart. I can't lose my patience, but I feel like I will at any second. We've been through this many times. At first it was fine, Daehyun accepted Jonghoon as my best friend. But lately, it feels like, he's been less accepting of Jonghoon. I don't know why he can't get it through his thick skull. I didn't agree to marrying Jonghoon, I agreed to being with Daehyun. And, sometimes, it hurts that Daehyun's not giving me the benefit of the doubt.

“We didn't do anything,” I look him in the eye, unblinkingly. “It's only a hug. Jonghoon and I do this all the time. Anyway, t's not like my face was captured in the photo.”

“Why can't you see where I'm coming from, Chaerin?” Daehyun mutters. “It's not that I don't trust you, sometimes I just don't trust Jonghoon. He's the one I don't trust.”

“This has nothing to do with anything,” I glare. “It was at the cemetery. He was only comforting me-”

“Then why couldn't I?” Daehyun replies. “I'm your fiancée. Jonghoon isn't.”

He has me there. However, Jonghoon had went out of his way to catch me during my moment of grief. Daehyun never knew the day of my brother's death anniversary. He never bothered to find out when it was. He never bothered to see how much of an importance my brother's life had impacted mine. Daehyun had seen me when I had changed, Jonghoon had seen me at my worst. Jonghoon understood me.

“He's my best friend,” I say. “You knew this from the beginning, before our relationship started. I don't want to fight about this. If you wanted to be with me, you need to accept him. Yes, he's a reckless idiot most of the time but-”

“That's what I mean!” Daehyun grumbles, frustrated. “You are always on his side. Sometimes he's priority over me. Like now, you're siding with him and-your ring!”

“What about it?” I glance at my ring finger and realisation dawns over me. I freeze.

Ever since Daehyun had announced that we were engaged to our colleagues, we made a promise that I'd wear mine without hesitation. Out of habit, I had taken it off this morning, before I had met up with Jinri.

My eyes widen and when I raise my head to see Daehyun leering back at me, I know he's the least bit happy. This isn't going to be good.

He whispers out, “Leave.”

“Dae,” I start. “Daehyun...”

I can already feel tears welling up in my eyes. I don't get usually emotional, but I've never seen this cold side to Daehyun before. Never. It scares me.

He's massaging his temples, eyes dull and refusing to stare back at me. “I can't talk to you right now.”

“Please. You can't leave me,” I burst out. My throat is burning. This can't be happening. Tears are spilling down my cheeks and even my nose is running. I feel like a horrible mess, but I don't care. All I want is for him to understand.

I choke out, brokenly. “Daehyun?”

“I mean it, Chaeri.” He closes his eyes. “I just need time alone. I need to be by myself.”

I sit their dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. I reach out to him, but something holds me back. Daehyun has pretty much ordered me to leave. He's not letting me explain myself. He's being a jerk. The thing is, I can see where he's coming from. If he did the things I did to him, I'd feel the same way. In fact, I'd probably react much worse than he has.

Since when have we lost trust in each other?

I stagger off the coach, exiting the apartment. It's only when I'm back in my car I realise that I'm so distraught that I had forgotten my shoes and had walked barefooted.

My head leans against the steering wheel, vainly attempting to halt the tears from flowing down. My world shatters. I let out a strangled cry, punching the steering wheel a couple of times. I stop when I accidentally press the horn.

I stoop my head lower, avoiding the looks people are sending at my direction.

I notice my phone is still in my pocket. I take it out to distract myself, only to find that there are 4 missed calls blinking at me. They're all from Jonghoon.

Rolling my eyes at the irony, I find that there's one text he's left me.

I open the text and read, 'Have you checked the news? I've only found out when the paparazzi barricaded me at the airport this morning. Is Daehyun upset? I'm sorry, Cherry. I really am. Don't be mad. Please answer my call. Im worried.'

It's definitely the longest text I've ever received from my best friend. He gets impatient typing on the phone and often opts to call. And, because I hadn't answered the calls earlier, he had to leave a text.

If I had seen the text earlier, would I have been ready for Daehyun's confrontation?

No...

I sigh. Daehyun had the right to be furious at me. Being late by an hour. Check. Looking romantically involved with another guy. Check. Not wearing the engagement ring. Check. I'm in the wrong here and I'm upset at myself because I don't know what to do, or say...to reassure Daehyun. I don't think he believes me anymore.

My finger wavers over the call button before I press on it. I'm not the only one effected here. Jonghoon's career is on the line and now I've even screwed it up for him.

“Cherry?”

I sob, “I'm sorry, Jonghoon.”

“Are you crying-”

“I'm not,” I sniff, curling my toes tightly in a lousy attempt to make it sound like I'm not tearing up. “Daehyun...he's hurt. And you. I didn't mean it. I-and-my shoes. I don't know. He wants a break. But we're engaged. Does that mean we're not together? Am I horrible-”

“You're not making sense. Where are you?”

“He hates me. Daehyun is hurting now and it's-it's all because of me.”

Jonghoon repeats, “Where are you, Chaeri?”

I tell him the address and just as I'm about to speak more, he beats me to it.

“I'll be there soon.”

He's hung up.

•••••••••••••••

o2.01.15

(a/n)

Surprise, surprise!

I really wanted to take advantage of these rare 'clumped up' days off to post another chapter. In this chapter I wanted to show more of Daehyun. It's a very Daehyun-centered chapter and it was, actually, very hard to write the second/present part to this chapter. I just don't want people to think of  Daehyun as the stereotypical negative/evil character in this story --- because he isn't (which is why it was hard to write).

Anywho, HAPPY BELATED NEW YEAR :) For those who are still celebrating it, HAPPY NEW YEAR :D 

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